Only a Millionaire (The Sinclairs #6.5)(5)

“I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” I told Evan Sinclair as we sipped a coffee at the local coffee shop, Brew Magic, later that evening.

I’d called him and asked him if we could talk. I’d wanted to thank him in person for giving me the chance to escape California for a while.

He raised an arrogant brow. “Are you sure that you’re ready to leave?”

I’d gotten used to Evan’s no-bullshit, blunt demeanor. He might sound rather aloof, but I was convinced that he had a good heart. What other superrich mogul took the time to help an ordinary woman like me?

I nodded as I took a sip of my coffee. I was really going to miss Brew Magic. California had good coffee, but this particular coffeehouse did actually brew some magic when it came to providing customers with a tasty caffeine fix. “I’m ready. I have to get back to my real life. I need to find myself another job and try to get everything back together.”

I’d been living in the aftermath of a devastating incident for close to a year. I knew it was time to put everything behind me and move on.

“I can help you find employment,” Evan said.

“I’ll be fine. I have experience. I don’t think it will be that hard to find a position.”

“I have a lot of connections if you need them.”

I almost choked on my coffee. Evan Sinclair had more connections than almost any other person on the planet. “I appreciate that.”

“Happy to help.”

I looked at him, and I could tell he was sincere. If I really needed his assistance, I had no doubt that he’d dig in and find me work tomorrow. “I’m staying for two weeks. I promised Liam, so he’d have a chance to find a replacement.”

He nodded. “Good. Maybe we can have you over for dinner before you go. Miranda would like that.”

I eyed him carefully. “That’s really nice of you. But I’m sure you’re a busy guy.”

I didn’t want to take up any more of his time. He was Noah’s friend, and he’d already done enough for me.

“It’s no problem,” Evan informed me.

“Okay, then. I’d like that.” Now that I didn’t have to hide my past, I wanted to just be myself. And I usually made friends easily.

Evan put his coffee back on the table before he asked, “How does Liam feel about you leaving?”

I looked at him with surprise. “He’s fine with it. He’s always known it was temporary, right?”

Evan nodded sharply. “He has. But Xander mentioned the fact that he seems very . . . fond of you.”

“Xander said that?” I knew Liam was friends with Evan’s youngest cousin, but I had no idea how my name had even come up in a conversation between them.

“He did. He also predicted that Liam would never let you leave Amesport.”

“He can’t exactly stop me. I’m way overage, and he’s not my father.” It would be more than a little creepy if he was. After all, I’d been lusting after him since I’d gotten to Amesport. And I definitely didn’t have a daddy fetish.

“I think he’s going to miss you, but he has a lot of money. He could fly you back here, or get a private plane to fly him back and forth to California.”

I snorted. “Liam is never going to go out of his way to keep in touch. I think I make him uncomfortable sometimes.”

Evan smirked. “That discomfort doesn’t always mean that a guy doesn’t care about you. I felt completely uncomfortable when I first met Miranda.”

“Why?”

“Some men always like to be in control. When we meet somebody who overwhelms us, it isn’t easy not to have the upper hand.”

“So you’re saying that your wife actually makes you irrational?”

“Unfortunately, yes. But I wouldn’t trade that feeling for not having her in my life. I think I need to be shaken up occasionally. It’s probably good for Liam, too.”

It was amusing to think about Evan’s adorable wife being able to get her way with a powerful man like him. “Well, Liam isn’t interested.”

“How do you know that?”

I was silent for a moment before I confessed, “I asked him. Several months ago. He admitted that he was attracted to me, but he kept his distance.”

“Interesting,” Evan mused.

“It wasn’t interesting,” I countered. “In fact, it was rather humiliating. He thinks he’s too old for me, and he treats me like a child. He’s also inclined to believe I have a boyfriend.”

Evan’s eyebrows rose. “Do you?”

“Of course not. I’d like to think if I had a love interest, that man would have wanted me back in California sooner.”

“Then why don’t you just tell him the truth?”

I let out a beleaguered sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“I’m good with complicated,” he insisted.

“The first time you brought Noah here to visit on one of your planes, Liam saw me with him. I couldn’t tell him the truth, so he made his own assumptions. He thinks I have a filthy-rich boyfriend.”

“There’s nothing bad about that. Money makes life easier.”

“But much more complicated,” I said.